The Situation

The company set a very ambitious timeframe for completing the acquisition deal and for beginning integration on day one.

The Problem

In order to finalize its £8billion acquisition of Hanson Plc, Heidelberg analysts needed access to thousands of documents from the various Hanson entities around the world. A neutral space where the implicit risks of allowing free access to the respective systems was needed.

The Implications

Heidelberg felt that using a secure online workspace would be the best way to manage the exchange of information. However, the size, timeframe and global scope of the project covering Europe, North America and Asia Pacific narrowed the field of viable options.

The Solution

Intralinks’ proven ability to support the exchange of documentation in the many markets covered made it the number one choice. With only six to eight weeks available for the document collection, Intralinks enabled Heidelberg to quickly organize and upload documentation from more than 1,200 global plants.

The Result

Intralinks greatly enabled the deal to proceed smoothly, facilitating the collection and exchange of documentation in critical locations and from each of the worldwide factories involved. This allowed HeidelbergCement’s advisers to conduct due diligence on a complex operation in just three months and save time on post-merger integration. Fourteen different exchanges were created to support the multitude of offices involved. Making information viewable on a central hub for the required advisers streamlined the due diligence process and helped the team facilitate a successful integration in just three months.

The Benefit

With several hundred people using the system around the world, there were multiple meetings across different time zones. Intralinks global service team was available 24/7, making it easily accessible to all of HeidelbergCement’s staff , regardless of geographic region or time zone. This helped keep the process on track and ensure the deal happened on time.

By the Numbers:

3 Months: Time it took HeidelbergCement to successfully integrate Hanson Plc

14: Number of different exchanges created to support the multitude of offices involved

66,000: Number of employees in the resulting company – now among the largest and the most vertically integrated in the sector